SOME lava flows are masquerading as cool rock, making them practically invisible to satellites trying to pick up “hot spots” on Earth.
Andy Harris from the University of Hawaii and his colleagues took a close look at active lava flows from the Santiaguito dome in Guatemala. Lava of this kind breaks off in chunks as it cools, leaving a rocky crust between 2 and 10 metres thick on top of the hot flow. This layer can keep the flow molten for up to a year, while leaving the surface at a relatively cool 30 °C to 100 °C. These flows…
